Lap band removed! :(

[nancy_marie_00 10]

Ok, I was banded on october 6th of this year....my port flipped and I had it revised on december 2nd. I was doing great on my journey! I couldn't have been happier. Then, I had pain in my abdomin. Th pain started last saturday and continued through that monday morning. I drove myself to to dr office first thing on monday and they admitted me to the hospital. After 2 days of IV antibiotics, on Wednesday December 22, I had my band removed. It had become incredibly infected and the pain was so bad it was unbearable. Why did this happen to me??? I have done so much research and talked to so many people who have had this done, I really thought that it was right for me. So now what to do??? I cannot exercise dueto the fact that they left the wound open to drain, and now I am starving again! I am down about 35 lbs since the summer, I am still fat though! I guess we will give weight watchers a try again come the new year!

[JMinDallas 1]

I'm so sorry this happened to you! Do they know what caused it? Are you able to get the band again, or because this happened once it can happen again?

Try something. I loved WW when I was on it before. Since your mindset is in the right place, and you've lost 35 lbs, doing WW might help you to keep it coming off.

[Amanda1982 142]

Sorry that happend to you...Did they tell you what happend?

[Yetta2u 3]

Ok, I was banded on october 6th of this year....my port flipped and I had it revised on december 2nd. I was doing great on my journey! I couldn't have been happier. Then, I had pain in my abdomin. Th pain started last saturday and continued through that monday morning. I drove myself to to dr office first thing on monday and they admitted me to the hospital. After 2 days of IV antibiotics, on Wednesday December 22, I had my band removed. It had become incredibly infected and the pain was so bad it was unbearable. Why did this happen to me??? I have done so much research and talked to so many people who have had this done, I really thought that it was right for me. So now what to do??? I cannot exercise dueto the fact that they left the wound open to drain, and now I am starving again! I am down about 35 lbs since the summer, I am still fat though! I guess we will give weight watchers a try again come the new year!

Oh no! I am so horry to hear that. I heard that your port could flip, but never read or knew of anyone that this has happened to. Did they tell you what could have caused that to happen? I am curious to know.

[nancy_marie_00 10]

It seems as though the infection came from my second fill. Somehow the port became infected and the antibiotics were not enough to heal it, so it had to be removed. Once part of the lap band system is infected, it is hard to keep the rest of it clear of infection. I had the option to try to leave the band in place and just remove the port, but to me it seemed pointless to have to go in for another surgery if it beame infected again. Nevermind the fact that the pain was unbearable. I couldn't move, sleep, do anything, all i could do is sip Water and take the pain meds they were giving to me. So no more surgries for me...I can and will have to do this on my own now. The I told you so's from everyone really suck though!!!! I think that is the worst part:(

[JanB23 23]

It really sucks that this has happened to you. Good luck for the future and what ever you decide to go with.

[Carmen188 1]

I am really sorry to hear that, did they say what happened, what caused the infection? were you eating too much? I am just asking because I feel like i can eat too much. what happened to you sounds really scary, I can imagine how you feel now, the band is my last hope. I do not want gastric bypass.

Ok, I was banded on october 6th of this year....my port flipped and I had it revised on december 2nd. I was doing great on my journey! I couldn't have been happier. Then, I had pain in my abdomin. Th pain started last saturday and continued through that monday morning. I drove myself to to dr office first thing on monday and they admitted me to the hospital. After 2 days of IV antibiotics, on Wednesday December 22, I had my band removed. It had become incredibly infected and the pain was so bad it was unbearable. Why did this happen to me??? I have done so much research and talked to so many people who have had this done, I really thought that it was right for me. So now what to do??? I cannot exercise dueto the fact that they left the wound open to drain, and now I am starving again! I am down about 35 lbs since the summer, I am still fat though! I guess we will give weight watchers a try again come the new year!

[disneymom1978 1]

I hope you have a speedy recovery! WW is a wonderful program. I have always loved the program and I'm actually following the points plus program now. I can't eat as many points as they allow, but I track my food and excersize on the website. It's incredibly user friendly. You've set your mind to it and that is the first part of success! Good luck with your modified journey. You can do this!

[SecondHandRose 0]

Ok, I was banded on october 6th of this year....my port flipped and I had it revised on december 2nd. I was doing great on my journey! I couldn't have been happier. Then, I had pain in my abdomin. Th pain started last saturday and continued through that monday morning. I drove myself to to dr office first thing on monday and they admitted me to the hospital. After 2 days of IV antibiotics, on Wednesday December 22, I had my band removed. It had become incredibly infected and the pain was so bad it was unbearable. Why did this happen to me??? I have done so much research and talked to so many people who have had this done, I really thought that it was right for me. So now what to do??? I cannot exercise dueto the fact that they left the wound open to drain, and now I am starving again! I am down about 35 lbs since the summer, I am still fat though! I guess we will give weight watchers a try again come the new year!

I am so sorry to hear this happened to you!! I hope you heal quickly and get on to your new life. (((hugs)))

[Sha'sJourney 1]

So sorry to hear this. Seems like you were having great success thus far. Keep your head up... you've got a great start of being down 35 pounds and a great mind set. Get going on WW right away so the determination is going strong. You can do it!!!

I hope that all goes well for you... good luck!

[carvey 0]

Would you do it again if given the opportunity???

[va_viv 3]

OH MY GOSH! I'm sooooooo sorry this happened! I wish you a speedy recovery and much success. You can definitely do it just gotta take it one day at a time!

[nancy_marie_00 10]

No I don't think that I would do it again. Yes, it was sucessful while it lasted, but I cannot see putting my body, mind, and family through all of these surgeries again.

Would you do it again if given the opportunity???

[Spartan 4]

NancyMarie;

I'm so sorry that you have had to experience this. A lot of people DO have problems with the band. And, with all of the other Weight Loss surgeries as well. For some people, the band experience is a relatively easy, smooth path to a normal and healthy body. For others, though, it is a mind-numbingly painful, difficult process that simply does not work. MOST people's experience falls somewhere in the middle. It is unfortunate that yours had to fall at the "negative" end of the band experience spectrum.

A similar topic was started a few months ago, and I posted a comment there. I am going to cut/paste those comments here, in the hopes that you will derive some encouragement from them. Please note: one particularly pompous and self-absorbed individual took issue with my comments in the previous thread, suggesting that I was implying that anyone could reach goal without the band. That is not at all what I was suggesting. I AM suggesting that we, as humans, have an enormous amount of power that we are unaware of, and, given the right circumstances, many of them can find a way to harness that power and do incredible things. The person who made a fuss about what I said had a problem understanding that. I have altered some of my original comments to reflect that, and, in the event that she reads it again, I removed some of the words that use multiple syllables, so that she will understand it better.

Here is what I had to say in that thread:

The Lap Band has been sold/marketed as a long-term weight control device, but in the years since the FDA approval took place here in the states, many Surgeons and Bariatric Specialists have to come find that there is a significant and growing incidence of Slippage, Erosion, and other complications that contribute to the early removal of the band. This happens for a wide variety of reasons, some of which are not entirely understood by the Medical Community. And, the band does not work well for everyone; only a small percentage of people who have one ever entirely reach their stated weight loss goal, and incidence of the aforementioned complications have been rising steadily, as the numbers of band fittings have increased.

This is not to say that the Band is not a good thing; it has worked miracles for many people, and has provided the little "something extra" that many people need to be able to lose the weight that they could not lose on an ordinary diet.

However, in some parts of the Bariatric Community, the Lap Band is now being viewed a little differently than it was 2 or 3 years ago. At one time, it was the "darling" of the WLS industry, but that tide is turning a bit. Many Bariatric Surgeons are beginning to see the lap band as a temporary solution, to be placed for a period of 3-5 years, during which time the patient will be strongly encouraged to modify their eating habits and choices in food consumption, rather than a lifetime weight loss solution. A "re-training" period, if you will.

So my point is that you are NOT alone. This is happening more than most people are aware.

I recently read some preliminary notes from a study that was done in Europe (Note: the study is still ongoing, it has NOT been published, nor has it been given a formal name.it is not about the lap band, it is about the "placebo effect" and has many components, of which WLS is only one) . It has not been published yet, and I don't have any of the information regarding the number of subjects, etc, but what I read of what was given to me was very interesting. It seems that Lap Band surgery was performed on a certain number of patients, but out of those patients, a certain percentage were NOT given the entire Lap Band. Only the PORT was placed to give the feeling that the entire surgery had been performed as planned. The idea was to test the "mind component" of weight loss. The result? The non-recipients who THOUGHT they had a band placed performed EVERY BIT AS WELL as those who DID, in fact, receive a full Lap Band. The point is, of course, that the MIND is a powerful component of the weight loss process. The "Placebo Effect" made it possible for these people to lose even when they did not have a Lap band installed .They only thought they had one. Remarkable.

I am NOT suggesting that everyone can achieve weight loss by only thinking that they have a band, but this (and other) studies demonstrate the incredible power of the human mind, the subconscious/unconscious in particular. There are new surgeries being investigated now that actually focus on physically altering portions of the brain in an effort to control eating and hunger. THAT is a little scary, but it is being investigated nonetheless. It might, at some point in the future, be the ultimate answer.

So, I do believe that you can continue forward with your weight loss without the Band. You need to take what you have learned during your time with the Lap band, and simply continue doing it. Because, when you get right down to it, it is YOU that is making the decisions...NOT the Lap band. The band can be very easily defeated. It is not difficult to "eat around" the Band.

The power for the lap band to promote weight loss really comes from YOU.

I wish you the best of luck in this, and I think you have an excellent chance of succeeding. Please keep us all posted on your progress, as there are people on this forum now who may be in the same situation you are in at some point, and they will need advice and encouragement as well.

S.

[Noturningback15 45]

I agree with the above posting. It is a mind thing for a lot of us! We have the power to do just about anything that we want to do! Good luck on your weight loss journey Nancy Marie 00!